Gutter installation tools

ABSTRACT

Gutter installation tools for installing sheet metal hanging gutters which include a spacer tool having an inwardly open, Ushaped channel for removably receiving a gutter installation spike. The tool is constructed of suitable length to properly space the upwardly turned panels of a hanging gutter when driving the spike therethrough for installation purposes. After the spike is fully driven, the spacer tool is removed downwardly and is thus available to aid in driving additional spikes. Each spike comprises a shank which terminates at one end in a point and at the other end in a head. The shank is peripherally undercut near the head to receive and lock therein the fragmented sections of the forward panel of the gutter which had been displaced by driving the point of the spike through the gutter.

United States Patent [1 1 [111 3,909,905 Giordano Oct. 7, 1975 GUTTERINSTALLATION TOOLS Primary Examiner-Victor A. Dipalma [76] Inventor:Louis J. Giordano, 4 Highland Attorney, Agent, or FzrmWe1ser, Stapler &Spivak Court, Linwood, NJ. 08221 22 F] d 26 1974 [57] ABSTRACT 1 l eJune Gutter installation tools for installing sheet metal [21] Appl.No.: 483,385 hanging gutters which include a spacer tool having aninwardly open, U-shaped channel for removably receiving a gutterinstallation spike. The tool is con- [52] U.S. Cl. 29/271, 52/1 Structedof Suitable length to p p y Space the p [51] Int Cl 2 B25B 27/14 wardlyturned panels of a hanging gutter when driving [58] Field of Search29/270, 271, 200 H; 16/2; "2 l g f z e g f 52/l1 12, 85/10 R 20 t e spie 18 u y rlven, t e spacer too is remove downwardly and is thusavailable to aid in driving ad- [56] References Cited ditional spikes.Each spike comprises a shank which terminates at one end in a point andat the other end UNITED STATES PATENTS in a head. The shank isperipherally undercut near the 2,060,970 11/1936 Belden 16/2 head toreceive and lock therein the fragmented sec- 2,lll,ll0 3/1938 Deniston,Jr. et al. 85/20 tiohs f the f d pane] f the gutter which had 2,209,7417/1940 Sullivan et al. 52/11 X been i la d by driving the point Of thespike 2,284,440 5/1942 Morrlssey 52/12 throu h the utter 3,340,6539/1967 Steeg 52/11 g g 15 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures US. Patent 0m.7,1975

-P no.4

GUTTER INSTALLATION TOOLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates generally to the field of building construction, and moreparticularly, is directed to gutter installation tools to facilitate theattachment of hanging gutters to the facia board of a building.

It has long been the practice when constructing buildings, such as homeswherein slanting roofs are employed, to provide hanging gutters aboutthe periphery of the roof to lead rain water' to a point of disposal inan orderly manner. Such hanging gutters are generally fabricated ofsheet metal such as copper, galvanized steel and aluminum, and morerecently sheet aluminum has become most popular for this purpose. Thegutters to which the present invention is particularly applicable can befabricated of any sheet metal and are formed generally U-shaped inconfiguration having a bottom web and front and rear up turned panels.The gutters are conventionally installed against the building facia byemploying headed fasteners, usually in the form of spikes which aredriven directly through the front and rear panels and into the faciaboard until the head engages the front face of the front panel. A spacertube or ferrule is generally positioned between the front and rearpanels in alignment with the spike as the spike is driven through thepanels in order to maintain proper spacing between the front and rearpanels during the installation procedure. The spikes are normallylocated at spaced intervals along the gutter, for example sixteen incheson center, and are driven through the front and rear panels in a mannerwhereby each fastener pierces its own hole through the panels as it isdriven in place. The spacer or ferrule remains upon the spike afterinstallation and no attempt is made to remove the spacer.

It has been found that the spacer or ferrules often collect water afterinstallation to thereby create a possibly unsatisfactory condition whichcould lead to rapid deterioration of the gutter installation. Also, thenumerous ferrules utilized in the course of the work represent a costfactor which must be considered by a roofing contractor when figuringthe total price of a job. The ferrules serve no useful purpose afterinstallation and accordingly, reflect an installation cost that isrelated only to the initial construction with no benefit to the propertyowner upon completion of the work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field ofgutter installation tools, and more particularly, is directed to areusable spacer tool that completely eliminates the need for single usespacers during gutter installation procedures.

The spacer tool of the present invention includes an upwardly open,U-shaped channel of suitable size to receive a gutter hanging spiketherein. The tool is constructed of length equal to the clear width ofthe gutter, for example, a tool having a length of 5 inches is employedto space the front and rear panels of a five-inch gutter during gutterinstallation. In use, the tool is positioned near the top of a gutterand a conventional seven inch aluminum or other metal spike is driventhrough the front gutter panel wall, through the longitudinallyextending U-shaped interior channel and then through the rear gutterpanel to enter the building facia board for gutter hanging purposes.After the spike is fully driven, the spacer tool is downwardly removedfrom association with the spike and the tool clears the spike along theopen portion of the U-shaped channel. In this manner, the same spacertool can be utilized to space the front and rear panels of a gutter forany number of spikes during the gutter hanging procedure.

The invention further includes a novel seven-inch spike having anelongated shank of round or generally square cross sectionalconfiguration. The shank terminates forwardly in a conventional drivingpoint and rearwardly in a flat head suitable for driving purposes byemploying a hammer. The: shank is undercut near the connection to thehead to provide a peripheral groove. During the gutter installation, thepointed end of the shank is driven through the front panel to therebydisplace portions of the panel metal inwardly. The displaced portionsare driven against the blunt end of the spacer tool. The flat end of thetool acts to urge the displaced metal panel portions inwardly to curlabout the shank adjacent to the head. The displaced material is therebyforced to curl into the peripheral groove in a manner to completely lockthe front panel onto the shank of the headed fastener. After the spacertool is removed, the connection between the displaced panel metal andthe shank remains firm.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide improvedgutter installation tools of the type set forth.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novelgutter installation spacer tool of length suitable to space the frontand rear panels of a hanging gutter wherein the spacer tool is providedwith a longitudinally extending, U-shaped groove of size to receive agutter fastening spike therein in a manner to permit removal of the toolafter the spike is fully driven.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel gutterinstallation tool comprising a spacer tool having a longitudinallyextending U-shaped channel and a headed spike which may or may not beprovided with sheet metal holding means formed therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel gutterinstallation tool which includes a headed fastener having a shank and aflat head provided at one end of the shank, the shank being undercutnear the head connection to provide a peripheral groove to receive andretain displaced sheet metal from a gutter panel therein duringinstallation procedures.

It is another object of the present invention to provide novel gutterinstallation tools which are inexpensive in manufacture, simple indesign and trouble free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of'the invention will be had byreferring to the following description and claims of a preferredembodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingswherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of theinvention in use with a hanging gutter with the headed fastener shown inexploded relationship.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side elevational view, partly in section, showingthe parts of FIG. 1 in installed relationship.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along Line 33 of FIG. 2, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, partial, side elevational view of the head end ofthe spike of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Althoughspecific terms are used in the following de scription for the sake ofclarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particularstructure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings andare not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. 1 a section of a typicalgutter which is formed of sheet metal, such as aluminum, but sometimescopper or galvanized steel, which is formed to a generally U-shapedcross sectional configuration. The gutter 10 is formed to provide abottom panel 12, and front and rear panels 14, 16 which extend upwardlyfrom the bottom panel 12. In practice, the front panel 14 is generallybent to a pleasingly curved configuration of any desired designconfiguration and the rear panel 16 is flat to facilitate installationdirectly upon a building facia board 18.

The front panel is shaped to provide a decorative appearance andincludes a curved body portion 20 which terminates upwardly in a capsection 22 which usually includes a vertical face 24 which terminatesupwardly in the rearwardly extending horizontal face 26. The horizontalface 26 terminates in a reverse bend 28 which serves to provide thefinished bent edge 30 and also serves to strengthen the cap section 22.In the embodiment illustrated, the rear panel 16 terminates upwardly ina forwardly bent lip 32 which serves both to provide a finished bent topedge 34 and to furnish some strength and rigidity to the rear panel 16.

The gutter installation tool 36 is used in conjunction with aconventional headed fastener or spike 38 to affix the gutter 10 to thefacia board 18 of a building. The headed fastener preferably is anelongated aluminum spike having either a round cross sectionalconfiguration 38 as inFIGS. l and 4 or a generally square crosssectional configuration 38' as in FIGS. 2 and 3. Spikes having bothround cross sections or square cross sections are well known by thoseskilled in the art. The spike 38 of the present invention may eitherhave a plain shank as in conventional in the industry or the shank maybe provided with a peripheral groove 58 as hereinafter more fully setforth. The gutter installation tool 36 comprises generally a cylindricalcentral body portion 40 which may be longitudinally serrated orotherwise treated to provide a roughened periphery 42 to facilitategrasping the tool under all climatic conditions. The central body 40terminates endwardly in right and left end sections 44, 46 which areprovided of sufficient length to readily fit under the horizontal space26 of the front panel cap section 22 and under the bent lip 32 providedin the rear panel 16, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. As illustrated, theend sections 44, 46 are preferably formed concentric with thecylindrical central body portions 40. A longitudinally extendingU-shaped groove 48 is formed along the entire length of the tool 36 andextends completely through both left and right end sections 44, 46 andthe cylindrical section body portion 40. The groove 48 receives theshank of a headed fastener 38, 38' therein as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3during the gutter installation procedures.

The overall length of the gutter installation tool 36 is designed tocoincide with the usual cross sectional width of the gutter 10 beinginstalled. In most installations, the cross sectional width of thegutter 10 from the rear panel 16 to the vertical face 24 of the capsection 22 is formed to a predetermined number of inches, for example,five inches. Accordingly, if the distance between the rear panel 16 andthe front vertical face 24 is five inches, the overall length of thegutter installation tool 36 should also be five inches so that the toolcan act as a spacer to preserve the front to back distance between thegutter front and rear panels 14, 16, when the gutter is being installedupon the facia board 18.

In order to use the gutter installation tool 36, the gutter 10 is firsttemporarily placed upon the facia board 18 in the desired location. Thegutter installation tool 36 is then horizontally applied so that thetool extends at right angles to the longitudinal extension of the gutter10 and is positioned immediately beneath the lip 32 of the rear panel 16and beneath the horizontal face 26 of the front panel 14. See FIGS. 1and 2. With the tool so positioned, the forward end 50 of the U-shapedgroove 48 will terminate immediately adjacent the front vertical face24. A headed fastener 38, 38" is then positioned forwardly of the gutter10 in position to apply the pointed end 52 in longitudinal alignmentwith the U-shaped groove 48. The headed fastener 38 or 38' is positionedforwardly of and in registry with the forward end of the groove 48 withonly the metal of the front vertical face 24 positioned therebetween.With the parts thus aligned, the flat head 54 is struck with a suitabletool, for example a hammer (not shown), to drive the point 52 throughthe sheet metal and into the forward end of the groove 48. By applyingrepeated blows upon the head 54, the headed fastener 38, 38 is drivenentirely through the U-shaped groove 48 until the pointed end 52 piercesthe rear panel 16 and enters the facia board 18. It is common practiceto employ a seven inch headed fastener 38, 38 for use with five inchcross sectional gutters 10, to thereby provide a two inch penetrationinto the facia board 18.

After the fastener 38, 38 has been fully driven to a point wherein thehead 54 abuts the front vertical face 24 as in FIG. 2, the gutterinstallation tool 36 is then removed from its association with thefastener 38, 38' by forcing the tool 36 in a direction diametricallyopposite to the open area 56 of the U-shaped groove 48. Thus, if thegroove 48 is upwardly open as in FIGS. 1 and 2, the removal forcesshould be applied downwardly to thereby permit the tool 36 todisassociate from the fastener 38, 38'. The tool can then be reused asmany times as desired with additional fasteners until the gutterinstallation procedures have been completed.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 4, I show the headed fastener 38, 38 formedwith a peripheral groove 58 which is formed in the fastener shank 60adjacent the flat head 54, and is spaced therefrom a distanceapproximately equal to the thickness of the front vertical face 24. Itwill be appreciated that as the pointed end 52 of the fastener entersthe front vertical face 24, some of the metallic material will beinwardly displaced as the opening 62 is punched into the vertical face24 by the pointed end 52. The displaced material 64 remains peripherallyconnected to the adjacent panel material and the free ends are inwardlyurged by the forces pounding the fastener toward the facia board 18 tothereby force the displaced material 64 directly into the front end ofthe gutter installation tool 36. The impact of the material 64 upon thefront end of the gutter installation tool and the holding action of theconnected portions combine to curl the displaced material 64 inwardly toform a peripheral roll 68. The peripheral groove 58 in the shank 60 isproperly positioned to receive the peripheral roll 68 as it is formedwhen the fastener 38 is driven fully into the facia plate 18. The blowsof the hammer upon the flat head 54 create forces which tend to forcethe peripheral roll 68 into the peripheral groove 58 to cause a lockingaction between the vertical face 24 and the fastener shank 60. After thetool 36 has been removed in the manner hereinbefore set forth from itsassociation with the fastener 38, the front panel 14 of the gutter 10remains fully locked to the fastener 38, 38 at the peripheral groove 58thereof. In this manner, there is no tendency of the front vertical face24 to move longitudinally along the shank 60 after installation inasmuchas the peripheral roll 68 is firmly locked within the groove 58 betweenthe inner face 70 of the flat head 54 and the forward shoulder 72 whichdefines one edge of the peripheral groove 58.

Although I have described the present invention with reference to theparticular embodiments herein set forth, it is understood that thepresent disclosure has been made only by way of example and thatnumerous changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, thescope of the invention should not be limited by the foregoingspecification, but rather only by the scope of the claims appendedhereto.

1 claim:

1. In a gutter installation system for hanging gutters having a frontpanel and a spaced rear panel by driving a spike through the panels andinto a construction member, the combination of A. spacer means tomaintain the spacing between the front and rear panels as the spike isdriven,

1. said spacer means including a body portion,

2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinally extendinggroove to receive the driven spike,

a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and an open area,

b. said open area being greater in width than the cross sectionaldimension of the spike, whereby the spacer means can be removed from adriven spike.

2. The gutter installation system of claim 1 wherein the body portionextends in length a distance equal to the spacing between the front andrear panels.

3. The gutter installation system of claim 1 wherein the body portionterminates forwardly in a front end and rearwardly in a rear end andwherein the forward end is in contact with the front panel when thespike is driven and wherein the forward end is not in contact with thefront panel when the spacer means is removed from the driven spike.

4. The gutter installation system of claim 3 wherein the rear end is incontact with the rear panel when the spike is driven and wherein theforward end is not in contact with the front panel when the spacer meansis removed from the driven spike.

5. The gutter installation system of claim 4 wherein the body portion isgenerally cylindrical in configuration and wherein the groove is open atthe outer periphery of the body portion and extends radially inwardly adistance sufficient to receive the spike therein.

6. The gutter installation system of claim 5 wherein the body portionterminates endwardly in a front end section and a rear end section, saidfront and rear end sections being smaller in cross sectional diameterthan the medial area of the body portion.

7. The gutter installation system according to claim 6 wherein themedial area of the body portion and the front and rear end sections areconcentric.

.8. The gutter installation system of claim 1 and a spike including anelongated shank, said shank being pointed at one end and terminating atthe other end in a head, said shank being positioned within the saidgroove.

9. In a gutter installation system for hanging a gutter by driving aspike therethrough and into a fixed member, the gutter having a frontpanel and a spaced rear panel, the combination of A. a spike includingan elongated shank,

1. said shank terminating endwardly in a pointed end and in a head;

B. spacer means to maintain the spacing between the front and rearpanels, as the spike is driven,

1. said spacer means including a body portion,

2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinally extendinggroove,

a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and a longitudinallyextending open area,

b. said open area being greater in width than the width of the shank topermit the spacer means to be removed from the spike after the spike hasbeen driven,

3. the body portion extending in length a distance equal to the spacingbetween the front and rear panels and terminating forwardly in a frontend and rearwardly in a rear end,

a. the front end contacting the front panel and the rear end contactingthe rear panel to space the panels when the spike is driven,

b. the said front and rear ends not contacting the respective front andrear panels when the spacer means is removed from the spike; and

C. locking means to lock the gutter to the spike,

1. said locking means including providing the shank with a peripheralgroove.

10. The gutter installation system of claim 9 wherein the peripheralgroove is oriented at right angles to the longitudinal axis of theshank.

11. The gutter installation system of claim 9 wherein the peripheralgroove is positioned near the head.

12. The gutter installation system of claim 9 wherein the peripheralgroove is spaced from the head a distance approximately equal to thethickness of the front gutter panel.

13. The gutter installation system according to claim

1. In a gutter installation system for hanging gutters having a frontpanel and a spaced rear panel by driving a spike through the panels andinto a construction member, the combination of A. spacer means tomaintain the spacing between the front and rear panels as the spike isdriven,
 1. said spacer means including a body portion,
 2. said bodyportion being provided with a longitudinally extending groove to receivethe driven spike, a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and anopen area, b. said open area being greater in width than the crosssectional dimension of the spike, whereby the spacer means can beremoved from a driven spike.
 2. said body portion being provided with alongitudinally extending groove to receive the driven spike, a. saidgroove defining a spike receiving area and an open area, b. said openarea being greater in width than the cross sectional dimension of thespike, whereby the spacer means can be removed from a driven spike. 2.The gutter installation system of claim 1 wherein the body portionextends in length a distance equal to the spacing between the front andrear panels.
 2. said body portion being provided with a longitudinallyextending groove, a. said groove defining a spike receiving area and alongitudinally extending open area, b. said open area being greater inwidth than the wiDth of the shank to permit the spacer means to beremoved from the spike after the spike has been driven,
 3. the bodyportion extending in length a distance equal to the spacing between thefront and rear panels and terminating forwardly in a front end andrearwardly in a rear end, a. the front end contacting the front paneland the rear end contacting the rear panel to space the panels when thespike is driven, b. the said front and rear ends not contacting therespective front and rear panels when the spacer means is removed fromthe spike; and C. locking means to lock the gutter to the spike,
 3. Thegutter installation system of claim 1 wherein the body portionterminates forwardly in a front end and rearwardly in a rear end andwherein the forward end is in contact with the front panel when thespike is driven and wherein the forward end is not in contact with thefront panel when the spacer means is removed from the driven spike. 4.The gutter installation system of claim 3 wherein the rear end is incontact with the rear panel when the spike is driven and wherein theforward end is not in contact with the front panel when the spacer meansis removed from the driven spike.
 5. The gutter installation system ofclaim 4 wherein the body portion is generally cylindrical inconfiguration and wherein the groove is open at the outer periphery ofthe body portion and extends radially inwardly a distance sufficient toreceive the spike therein.
 6. The gutter installation system of claim 5wherein the body portion terminates endwardly in a front end section anda rear end section, said front and rear end sections being smaller incross sectional diameter than the medial area of the body portion. 7.The gutter installation system according to claim 6 wherein the medialarea of the body portion and the front and rear end sections areconcentric.
 8. The gutter installation system of claim 1 and a spikeincluding an elongated shank, said shank being pointed at one end andterminating at the other end in a head, said shank being positionedwithin the said groove.
 9. In a gutter installation system for hanging agutter by driving a spike therethrough and into a fixed member, thegutter having a front panel and a spaced rear panel, the combination ofA. a spike including an elongated shank,
 10. The gutter installationsystem of claim 9 wherein the peripheral groove is oriented at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the shank.
 11. The gutterinstallation system of claim 9 wherein the peripheral groove ispositioned near the head.
 12. The gutter installation system of claim 9wherein the peripheral groove is spaced from the head a distanceapproximately equal to the thickness of the front gutter panel.
 13. Thegutter installation system according to claim 9 wherein some materialcomprising the front panel is inwardly displaced to define an opening, aportion of the spike being positioned in the opening.
 14. The gutterinstallation system according to claim 13 wherein some of the displacedmaterial is in contact with the front end of the body portion.
 15. Thegutter installation system according to claim 14 wherein some of thedisplaced material is positioned in the peripheral groove to lock thefront panel to the spike.